A thriving Great Yarmouth boxing club is feeling punch drunk with success after it was given a �70,000 grant.The Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club will be using the money to help it relocate to bigger premises to ensure more youngster take up the sport.

A thriving Great Yarmouth boxing club is feeling punch drunk with success after it was given a �70,000 grant.

The Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club will be using the money to help it relocate to bigger premises to ensure more youngster take up the sport.

It is hoped the Amateur Boxing Association of England grant will mean the club's new headquarters at the former Tower dance hall in Gorleston will become a regional hub of pugilistic excellence.

The club, which has 100 boxers on its books and has had nine boxers fight for England, hopes to move into the former dance hall by the end of year.

Club members have already gutted the building and built a new roof and installed suspended ceilings and a new electrical system.

The next stage will see two full sized boxing rings set up with a wide range of training equipment available.

Although the club still needs to find another �35,000 to finish the work, the group is confident the new boxing gym will be open by the end of the year.

The club is presently based in St Peters Plain, Yarmouth and wants to move so it can swell its membership from 100 to 170 over the next four years.

Club chairman Glenn Miller said: “This money is a Godsend as we are bursting at the seams as a highly successful club with a long waiting list.

“This will be our seventh move since the club started in 1964 and it is the biggest and best thing to happen to us.

“We are a victim of our own success but now we can meet our aim of increasing our membership to 170 over the next four years.”

The grant was given because the Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club, which has 14 volunteer qualified coaches, had proved its worth in attracting young people to take up the sport and providing them with high quality training.

Since 1996 the club has had a competitor in the national finals every year except for one and since 2000 nine members have boxed for England.

It is hoped that two young boxers may compete in future Olympics.

The club needs a further �35,000 to complete the work, including installing disabled toilets and showers.

Anyone who can help the club by providing donations, labour or material should contact Mr Miller on 07795 261714.